NASS, NGF fault UK travel ban, demand reversal

NASS, NGF fault UK travel ban, demand reversal

The National Assembly and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on Tuesday condemned the United Kingdom’s travel ban on Nigeria.

The lawmakers and the NGF in their separate reactions to travel ban imposed on Nigeria by the UK  on Saturday, demanding a reversal of the travel restriction.

At the plenary on Tuesday, members of the House said Nigeria and other African countries were being bullied by Western countries for failing to look inwards and develop their economies.

The Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu,   moved a motion of urgent public importance, titled ‘Need to Intervene in the Suspension of Issuance of Visitors Visa to Nigerians by the United Kingdom Government,’ which the lawmakers unanimously adopted after a long debate.

Moving the motion, Elumelu said though the ban was for Nigerians going to the UK, “it does not exempt over 8,000 Nigerian travellers that have bought air tickets to visit Nigeria during this festive period, as the restriction would affect their re-entry into the UK after holidays.”

Elumelu said, “The House is further worried that the UK Government chose to announce the ban without discussing the data in its possession with the Nigerian Government and instead gave an hour’s notice to the Nigeria authorities before its inclusion on the Red List, contrary to known international convention.

Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Health and Foreign Affairs to interface with the Ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Steering on COVID 19 “on best ways of resolving this issue.”

Also, the Senate condemned the UK’s inclusion of Nigeria in its COVID-19 red list without justification.

“Omicron still remains relatively unknown globally as it is not yet clear whether it is more transmissible from person to a person compared to other variants including Delta.”

The NGF urged the World Health Organisation to intervene by setting uniform standards that are acceptable to all for banning countries across the globe.

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